Keeping control at Wrigley

After fatal shooting near stadium, locals say more cops needed

May 10, 2004|By Chicago Tribune.

A new "neighborhood protection" plan now in effect around Wrigley Field on Chicago Cubs game days was designed to upgrade cleanliness, cut congestion and produce other improvements in the quality of life for local residents.

But Thursday's fatal shooting in the shadows of the ballpark raises questions about whether more far-reaching measures are needed.

The Cubs' success on the diamond is drawing more people to the already tightly-packed Lakeview neighborhood, and alcohol continues to flow at local bars long after games have ended, creating a potentially volatile mix.

"I've been concerned with the numbers of people coming to Lakeview who don't even have tickets for the game," said Charlotte Newfeld, chair of Citizens United for Baseball in Sunshine. "We are not talking about gunfights. We are talking about [rowdiness] by the over-30 gang acting like they are on a playground in 3rd grade."

Steve Strauss, the owner of Sluggers bar near the park, likened the atmosphere around Wrigley this year to Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

"We need police protection," said Strauss, who said more officers are needed to walk and patrol in cars.

Thursday's shooting took place shortly after 6 p.m., nearly two hours after the last out in the Cubs' 11-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And despite neighborhood concerns about the rowdiness and disruptions often associated with night games, Thursday's contest started at 1:20 p.m.

Outside, officers who are brought in specifically for crowd control and traffic are augmented for night games by tactical officers from the nearby Belmont and Town Hall Districts, said David Bayless, a Police Department spokesman. Since day games have not been seen as causing problems, the extra officers are not deployed.

The shooting victim, Frank Hernandez, 26, was one of several men involved in a fight that broke out Thursday at Clark and Addison Streets when an SUV either bumped some pedestrians or came close. Rodrigo Caballero, 22, of the 1400 block of West Fry Street was charged with murder Friday, and prosecutors said he fired one fatal shot into Hernandez's chest.

Ald. Thomas Tunney (44th) viewed the shooting as an isolated incident and said police response was quick.

In a deal reached several months ago after two years of negotiation, the Cubs won city permission to increase the number of night games at Wrigley from 18 to 22 this season, 26 in 2005 and 30 thereafter.

In return, the team agreed to a list of new measures, including operation of a remote parking lot designed to reduce congestion around the ballpark, portable toilets at all Cubs lots, expanded litter pickup outside the ballpark and creation of a $1 million fund to address future problems.